Ohio family gets 5 speed camera tickets in one day

Most residents appreciate cameras

As Elmwood Place speeders prepare to get a refund on their robo-camera tickets, drivers in another part of the Tri-state say they want the plug pulled on other jurisdictions' cameras. One family received five tickets from the New Miami traffic cameras in just one day.

Summer Jones and her husband Christopher were each driving their cars to New Miami for their 10-year-old son's basketball game. When Christopher found himself lost, Summer tried to help.

"He's calling me on the phone, I'm on the computer looking on Google Maps trying to help him," said White Oak Driver Summer Jones. "He's literally driving around in circles. A couple weeks later we get mail and he got four tickets from a speed camera. And then I was following behind and I also got a speeding ticket."

All together, New Miami police issued five $95 tickets to the Jones family in one day. Summer said that illustrates exactly why she feels the speed cameras should not be allowed. She said if an officer had written up the first ticket, they'd have known instantly about their mistake and not made it four more times.

"I don't understand how it can be illegal in Elmwood Place, but legal in the Village of New Miami. I understand it's a different jurisdiction but we're in the same state," said Jones.

New Miami Police Chief Kenneth Cheeks described the system as one that is making his community's streets safer. He said New Miami went from seeing from 250-400 speeders each day when the cameras began last October to 50-70 ticketed speeders on an average day now.

Cheeks indicated the signs posted at the city limits warn drivers of the photo enforcement. He said the village has dismissed at least 1,600 tickets, in an effort to be fair to drivers in certain situations.

Residents like Larry Anglin smile passing the speed cameras. Anglin said they have afforded many extras for his hometown.

"Best thing to happen to this town," said Anglin. "It brings in a little money. We got our police back now, cause we didn't have enough money to pay the chief. They got two cruisers getting fixed right now, ready to be on the road. It's helping the community."

Anglin called the speed camera issue simple: "If you don't speed, you don't have to pay the ticket. That's my thoughts on that."

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